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@onemanplayer
Illustration by 鳴野 | Shuuen no Shiori: A-ya & C-ta
"Halloween’s soon, huh? I don’t think I’ll be doing much of anything…"
"Huh? Come on A-ya, we should do something at least.”
"Something? Well, what do you have in mind?" It'll take a bit more to intrigue him.
"Halloween's soon, huh? I don't think I'll be doing much of anything..."
[he had been playing with A-ya…that was the last thing that C-ta remembers. now, he’s stuck, lost, and confused, in a place that only looks familiar. but to him, there is nothing familiar about it- all because it was lacking the person who was most important to him: his best friend.]
A-ya…? [uncertainty is more than clear in his voice- and just a little bit of fear too, both for himself and for his friend. where could A-ya be? better yet, where could he be? some place that looks like his home but isn’t- is this all the premise of a bad dream? or could it be…
could it be that A-ya has been kidnapped?! could it be that some strange man came in and took A-ya while he wasn’t looking?! A-ya’s very weak, and wouldn’t be able to fight back- much less an adult! this was bad, bad, bad,bad!
gritting his teeth, C-ta’s breath quickens as panic begins to claim him- how is he going to save his best friend? where could his best friend be in the first place? what if those people had already taken him far away where bad people took kids to? panic, panic, panic, he had to find A-ya! that is the only way that he could calm down; only when A-ya was found!]
The inevitable daily commute, as described by most people, is an indistinct and mundane part of everyday life. An event serving for a point of reflection: good, bad.. will be good, will be bad. How will their day go? How has their day been? Oh, god! I have way too much to study for!
Normal things like that. Whereas the extent of human spectrum lay between joy and stress, as did the nature of commuting. Affairs occurring beforehand, or told to come within the near future was its sole influence. There was a science behind it, yes- something as seemingly pointless as the average train ride to work had a true, honest science behind it. Perhaps, rather than the daily commute, you could call it daily psychological play.
...Or maybe, an aimlessly created philosophy of a teenager who was way too bored with everything.
Both answers worked-- they were both completely true. But there was one thing, perhaps what A-ya himself called the law of commuting:
'Under normal circumstances, unless the stars aligned themselves in a discrete position, would nothing interesting ever happen in the instance of a commute.'
It was accurate. He was no astronomy expert, but he knew it was true. It had to be true; he just spent the last few minutes making this up. Einsten level theory shouldn't be corrupted. That would be a dick move.
And yet, by the mighty hand of....... whatever deity was up there, and their horrid use of karma, something had broken it. Right at that very moment, that very second... with the stars not aligned, a disturbance lay right in front of him.
Why was there a little boy muttering his name-- that when he took a closer look at, shared a strikingly similar appearance to his childhood friend, having a panic attack on the sidewalk?
...No, why wasn't he more concerned? Well, no... he should be more accustomed to it, right? For breaking such an extensive amount of thought, should he really help the kid out? Should he worry?
...
......
.........Fine. Philosophy was stupid anyways. Maybe being a good samaritan'll pay him back someday. But man, that kid was short. He'd have to look down just to talk to him.
"Do you... need something?"
onemanplayer
Never did A-ya fail to put a smile on the boy’s face. Granted, C-ta was always smiling. Though, those smiles were only meant for show; to prove that nothing was wrong with him; that he was just an average student and to avoid unwanted attention.
A-ya was different. His presence made C-ta genuinely happy.
"A-ya!"
...Oh? C-ta? Another familiar face. Wait, no, another familiar face of the many familiar faces.. another familiar smile, lost and naive amongst the plethora of life-given bunches, another-- you know what? Nevermind.
The mere attempt of wording anything properly proved to be an ill farce. The point had already proven itself beforehand (döppelgangers were real, but all the rules corresponding to them were fake? false advertisement.) like a boot to the face: an overwhelming amount of C-ta's, heading straight into an unknown incursion!
What a clever way to put it. Ahah.
Kidding. He'd normally never been one to lace words too much, even within his own thoughts. Of course, there was nothing he had against that-- just as long as none of them did anything, tried anything.. and so far, that seemed to be the case. Harmless, too mellow to hurt a fly. Just like how his friend's always been.
"Ah, C-ta number..." A small pause to think.. but eventually, the bare facts are laid down. Remembering anything is far out of reach. "Seventy-eight. What is it?"
Another day, another shiny, new gold nugget awaiting her at the bottom of the stream! If she could get her hands on one of those, affording new boots and a matching belt buckle would be a breeze! However, gold hunting had gone down in the recent hundred and forty years, so a chance of establishing a rich new life on the range wasn’t going to happen.
There was a bright side to this predicament! Just because her life on this crusty excuse for a wasteland wasn’t full of riches, it’d still be enjoyable! D-ne could make it her own, a land of opportunity and of horses! Japan? Who cares about a foreign land like that? Texas was where she, and her heart, belonged.
A partner…? No no, just another passerby - no one looking for a battle of brawn and gunpowder. What a shame… Conversing with this boy could be useful - maybe she could convert him to Cowboyism, or simply get directions to where she could purchase more hats.
"Howdy, A-ya!" A grin exploded on her face, the joy of being so Southern engulfed her entire being. "Bright? Well, I do believe the day’s as radiant as ‘eva, so I sure am showing it by the look on mah face! How are you doin’, ranger?"
Seeing a reply that was laced and bound with utmost cheer was enough to bring a smile to his face- just as long as it was D-ne's, of course. No one could pull off such a genuine display, bringing hope and love to all those around her! How could one not swoon at the very sight of her, he asked himself. Was the world just inflicted with the curse of bad taste?
Nonetheless, good emotions couldn't tie well with displaying good intention. (it was a pity, really. blessed with pure happiness, yet he was unable to display it!) Girls were girls, after all, and dealing with that sort of alien race was beyond his knowledge. But he'd impress her! This poor, lovesick boy would get exactly what he wanted!
Yes, yes yes! Exactly what he wanted! What the both of them would want, riding together in the sunset, D-ne embracing him as they both sat on the saddle of their loyal steed--
Wait. Why was he imagining that, of all things-- no, no! Why was D-ne trying to be a cowboy? What was with that accent, that air, that way of speech? 'Howdy?' Huh?
The realisation of what was right in front of him dawned immediately; A-ya's enveloped in light shame that he was much too distracted about how strikingly beautiful, amazing, wonder-- getting off track again. Repeat: much too distracted about how amazing of a person she was, to be able to distinguish uncommon from everyday. But alas, he did not falter. This boy would follow through! Whether rain or sun, rain or sun.. he'd do anything, overcome anything! The first priority? Note on strange behavior!
"I... well, I'm doing fine," Actions contradict active imaginations. "I take that you're suddenly into the cowboy getup- not that there's anything particularly wrong with it, but it's certainly an interesting change."
"D-ne, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Di-i-ne: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Di-i-ne."
The Wild West, a glorious place, complete with barren desserts and cacti at every corner. Saloons… showdowns at noon… everything was glorious about the place! An ideal setting for someone like her! It was her own little habitat, as if she was a creature intended to live and thrive here.
… If it existed. Sadly, D-ne only lived in two places. One, Japan. The other… her own mind’s state of an existential crisis. The girl was twisted into thinking that she was a cowboy - no, cowgirl - residing in the western planes of a southern state (Texas was the most likely place, right? She lived in Texas then!)
"Ahh, what a wonderful day to wake up to! The sun’s out, illuminating the land - harvest time is almost over, I’d better get to attending my crops!" She proclaimed such a happy statement upon waking up that it almost didn’t sound real. Sadly, it was, if only for a fleeting moment. For however long, she was a delusional, sick cowgirl.
Calm. He had to act calm. This was her- the girl that he'd suddenly blossomed these undying feelings for, so he had to always maintain a good impression. One wrong move, and A-ya was bound to go down the dark road. The road of peril, the road of doomed love...
And that was certainly no road he wanted to go down. He'd only ever go down with D-ne! Because he was her muse, her femme-fatale! The one who could drive him to hell and back, just as long as he had the blessing of being with her--
Tch. Remember, A-ya. Stay calm! Rewrite your past impression, and replace it! Even if love could sting! Even if in the past, you'd only wanted those kinds of things to buzz off! Even if you're left unknowing that your newfound crush now took the form of a sick, delusional cowgirl!
Whatever! Fuck it! Just be cool!
"...Hey, D-ne," Step one complete. He didn't seem too bad, did he? "You're looking brighter than usual today."
One thing was off. Ever since he woke up that morning, with the knowledge that the four of them would follow their usual routine after school, something was definitely off.
He’d recounted his steps, the source of what made him feel so weird. A-ya, B-ko, C-ta, and D-ne.. they’d all be meeting in the usual place, and everything else would follow accordingly! Conversations would begin whether short-lived or deep; A-ya would share the stories that would spark the prime topic of the day.
It was just like any other time. Yet, for some ungodly reason, there was one little thing that was throwing him off!
Come on, A-ya… what’s wrong? There’s nothing strange, nothing in your knowledge- but why can’t you figure out what’s wrong!? B-ko, C-ta, D-ne—
…D-ne? D-ne, D-ne, D-ne. A red tint donned his features, face matching eyes; A-ya immediately knew what was wrong. Or rather, what was right?
"It’s her, I know it’s her.." A trace of disbelief resounded in his voice- this couldn’t be! These were—!
Feelings!
"I've... never noticed anything like this before, but I suddenly feel so..."
What were these feelings, exactly? Why was it, that at the smallest thought of D-ne, his entire body felt so.... strange? So hot, so warm.. could this be the start of something new? Tune in at 11 for more news! Wow!
M!A: For 3 days, your muse realizes their inner cowboy! This is because you couldn't cowboy it up the last time! Wow!
"… Yeehaw?"
"Ah, the way you enunciate 'yeehaw' is so..."
M!A: For 3 days, your muse will be heavily infatuated with D-ne. I do hope you'll use this prompt the most of your ability! :")
"…Eh?"
b-kbob b-b0bbkbob bob=0ikkko b—kob bok-b bobok- bobobobkbbkbkbkbkbkb Bobobobobobobob b-kkoo=koooo Book!!
RURUR ur rur rmrmor rou rmrmor orrorooruru rurru our omomoru ro ror ur o! ! ORor rorROROOROROROORORRUMOUOUOUOmo give me tTHe Rumou
wwowowo B-ko’s shot hot I lvoe b-ko b-kob b-bkbi- bokbk-!!!!
wowow rur ruu r ruru mou rur rumourrumour ru rur ru rmour rRUm our RUMOUR rurmour rurmour rurmo r ur or rUR !!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!
"No can do, A-ya. I’ve never felt more alive. Unless…" he pauses for the dramatic effect. "I’m a ghost”.
"…A ghost." Fine, he’ll play along. Shits and giggles, right? "If that’s the case, you know who’s coming. The Ghostbusters."
"Ooh? But wouldn’t you help me pass on to the next life, A-ya? We spirits have feelings too, you know."
"As much as that would emphasize on our goodwill, we humans are still allowed to have our doubts. Rather than being a lost, troubled soul.. bad intentions are still well within your grasp, C-ta."
"Obviously." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Ugh. Why can’t A-ya just accept the fact that she was indeed a female? Oh wait, that’s right. The C-ta he knows is a boy. Placing a hand on her temple, she stared at A-ya before sighing in defeat.
"I assumed you’ve heard a lot of doppelganger rumors, am I right?" She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly to the side. "And I’m pretty sure you’ve seen your own doppelganger too." She smiled at him. "Tell me, do you know why these kind of things happen?"
..Ah, he struck a nerve so quickly? If he'd been keeping count all this time, that'd be close to a record. Yet still too far- this C-ta hadn't taken the winning prize; B-ko was still alive and pumping... maybe.
Nonetheless, that was a rhetorical question, wasn't it? Meaning that she did know something, and that she perhaps was the key to knowing all of this information! Would he be kept in the dark? No longer!
At least there were some benefits here. Knowing something, knowing C-ta, and becoming familiar with (what a rude way of wording) these irregularities.
"I.. don't, but do you?" Washing away the doubt-filled expression, a glint of interest immediately took over. "It's true that I've heard them, seen plenty of them, actually.. but I haven't been able to exactly put pieces together."